1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to horse racing games in general, and more specifically to the components of a horse racing game utilized in combination to simulate horse races based on actual racing events.
2. Description of the Prior Art
For the playing of simulated horse racing games, various types of game boards, cards defining race conditions, horse markers that are moved along a game board, and random number generators have been used. It is typical in this type of game that the interpretation of the random number generators has no real bearing on actual horse performance and are therefore not realistic representations of an actual horse race. In addition, game boards are known wherein special squares are marked off along the game board featuring a simulated racetrack such that if a player's marker representing a horse lands thereupon, advancement of the marker is adjusted or forfeited. Again, the exigencies of this type of simulation are too random to be realistic.
The only attempt to produce a realistic simulated horse racing game known by applicant is represented by U.S. Pat. No. 3,690,666. The failure of this effort and of the combination of its components to create an interesting, realistic representation of a horse race lies in its complexity, inflexibility and the length of time it requires to play. In this prior art game, play is greatly complicated by the use of a race action board device. In order to utilize this device, a random number generator must first be used to determine conditions of the game which in turn correspond to numerical representations which require further computation in order to determine how each player must interpret the board, and then on each move each player must use a random number generator to interpret a horse performance card, which is then in turn used, in combination with the previous calculations, to interpret the board, which then ultimately determines the distance which a player may advance his or her marker along a board. This procedure is unnecessarily and undesirably complicated. The prior art game allows for no pregame strategy, focusing solely on the strategy of lane changing during the running of a simulated race. The simulated wagering possibilities generated by the prior art game are extremely limited and depend upon the utilization of random number generators to an unnecessary extent, thereby increasing the randomness of the odds and decreasing the realism. The race performance is indicated on the horse performance cards are non-race specific and are thereby of no interest of themselves, and since they relate to no specific historic event, are capable of varying rather widely.
While conditonal variables exist in the prior art game in order to simulate a realistic horse race, these variables are left too much to chance. They are also unavoidable. In order to run a simulated race with the prior art game, it is necessary to calculate by means of numerous random number generator selections track conditions, mud ratings and so forth for the race to be simulated, greatly increasing time of play. Additionally, although the prior art game in question has no randomly marked squares on its gameboard affecting play, there are randomly starred numbers on the race action board device which are then interpreted by a random number generator in a way that is not confined to the constraints of a realistic horse performance.
Applicant is aware of no simulated horse racing game that is both interesting and realistic, relates to historic events, and may be played in either a simplified convenient form or in an advanced, hyper-realistic form.